Gemotions

"No way," Liam muttered under his breath. He stared at the Instagram notification, the words "Mr. Bell followed you" swimming before his eyes. It felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. He felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to hide.

His social media presence was not a secret. He was a popular student, and the posts came freely. He liked to post pictures of his friends, videos of him playing basketball, and a running commentary on school life. It was all fairly harmless, wasn't it?

He sat down, his legs suddenly heavy. His thoughts raced. What if he’d been too outspoken? What if Mr. Bell thought he was annoying? What if this fundamentally changed their classroom dynamic? He stared at his phone, his reflection distorted in the black screen.